HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.15.18 BAC Minutes CITY OF BOULDER
BOULDER,COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING
MINUTES
Name of Board/Commission: Boulder Arts Commission
Date of Meeting:August 15,2018 at the Main Boulder Public Librar , 1001 Arapahoe Ave.
Contact information preparing summary: Celia Seaton,303-441-3206
Commission members present: Mark Villarreal,Felicia Furman,Kathleen McCormick,Devin Hughes,Erica Joos
Commission members absent: none
Library staff present:
Matt Chasansky,Office of Arts&Culture Manager
Lauren Click,Coordinator,Grants
Mary Haan,Coordinator,Programs for Artists
Mandy Vink,Public Art Coordinator
David Farnan,Director
Celia Seaton,Administrative Specialist
City staff present:
None
Members of the public present:
Mary Horrocks(Open Studios),Traci McDonald(CU Arts Administration Certificate applicant),Aurelie Roy(Anchor Art
Advising),Sarah Shkazi(KGNU),Tim Russo(KGNU),and D.J.Razee(SCFD/RZ Foundation)
Type of Meeting: Re lar
Agenda Item 1: Call to order and approval of agenda [0:00:00 Audio min.]
The meeting was called to order. Villarreal asked for any addendums to the agenda. Chasansky requested a discussion of
panelists for the 2019 grant cycle as"F"under the Agenda Item 4.
McCormick moved to approve the agenda as amended. Joos seconded,and all were in favor.
Agenda Item 2: Review of Minutes [0:01:16 Audio min.]
Item 2A,Approval/Review of July 2018 Meeting Minutes
Villarreal asked the commission for changes or addendums regarding these minutes. McCormick corrected the conflict for
the Indigenous Day participant's lodging as"Parent's Weekend"(not CU graduation). Villarreal noted that he would like
the draft documents included that presented the three different scenarios of grant program restructuring(no change,flat
annual$30,000,and funding calculated as a percentage). Furman made a motion to accept the July minutes as amended,
Joos seconded,and the motion was approved.
Agenda Item 3:Public comment [0.03.35 Audio min.]
Horrocks,program director of Open Studios,updated the commission on several recent and upcoming activities. Pop!A
Local Artist's Gallery incorporates work from 37 different artists. Opening night garnered 650 attendees.Villarreal:Pop!is
a good use of the space. McCormick noted that she attended opening night and was impressed by the attendance.
Shirazi,community development director of KGNU,alerted the group to an interactive exhibit at the Museum of Boulder
that showcases community radio and engagement with the public. The exhibit,"Listening Together,"opened August 9 and
will run until September 17.
Roy introduced herself to the group as the founder of Anchor Art Advising in Boulder. She expressed desire to support the
arts both at a local and international level.
Agenda Item 4: Grant Program [0.12.50 Audio min.]
A. ACTION:Grant Reports
1. Rebecca Remaly Weitz,Theatre Communications Group National Conference in St.Louis,MO,$1,000
2. Kathleen Spencer Johns,The New Sola late in Santa Fe,NM $1,000
3. Rita Valente-Quinn,Americans for the Arts Annual Convention 2018 in Denver,CO,$500
4. Ashley Shires,Creative Writing Club at Casey Bilingual School,$3,000
Regarding the small class size for Shires,Furman wondered about opportunity in the future to build support
beforehand in hope of larger success. McCormick,while acknowledging the small number that benefitted,felt
impressed by the report and the students impacted. Furman moved to accept the reports by Weitz,Johns,
Valente-Quinn,and Shires. Villarreal seconded,and all were in favor.
B. ACTION:Grant Report Update:Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art,ARTlab,$3,000
Villarreal asked the commission if they felt that the response was satisfactory. The majority did not think their
pertinent question was addressed,despite the lengthy report. Joos noted that the program was beneficial.
Commission asked Click to relay to BMoCA that we want the clearest,most direct report in the future. Villarreal
moved to accept the report update from BMoCA,Hughes seconded,and the motion was unanimously approved.
C. ACTION:2018 University of Colorado at Boulder Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration Scholarship
Decision
Click introduced Traci McDonald,who was the sole applicant for this certificate program. Click presented the
group with a breakdown of the scores showing unanimous approval by the commission. McDonald expressed
excitement about her impending study. Furman asked what kind of nonprofit she is interested in working with.
McDonald replied that she finds great value in working with children and has enjoyed her background in art and
museum work. Hughes asked about her impact at CU Art Museum where she has been employed. She noted that
technological innovation and evaluation has been the main thrust through this past year. She played an
instrumental role in the accessibility initiative,implementing feedback to create a more welcoming environment to
encourage more family attendance. McCormick asked what she would hope to do with the certificate. McDonald
re`spondeTthat'slie wo`lu d"1'zke'�k on increasing accessib-ill-W options forclu�3ren1 of—`lmx ies with�is`Ua iGfies.-
The certificate program will develop necessary leadership skills to grow this initiative beyond just ADA guidelines.
Villarreal asked McDonald what she saw as"lacking in the arts community." She replied that she observes a
"disconnect"between City of Boulder's art world and that of CU. While acknowledging that the university tends
to silo itself,she would like to see more of a relationship between these two entities. McCormick moved to
approve funding for Traci McDonald's scholarship,Furman seconded,and the motion passed unanimously.
D. DISCUSSION:2019 Grants Blueprint,Concepts and Options–Chasansky spoke on the specific criteria of
"Artistic Excellence"which he feels inhibitive to innovation,possibly conflated with personal taste,and reliant on
western academic standards which taints the equity focus. He suggested removal of this item in favor of something
else(e.g.,University of Pennsylvania's"flourishing index")and asked the commission whether they are interested
in pursuing alternatives. Joos spoke about KGNU's"Aesthetic Perspectives Grant Framework"which speaks to
many components of the cultural plan. She doesn't like the exclusivity that seems inherent in"Artistic
Excellence." For Villarreal,it functions as a"moat between[the commission] and the lowest common
denominator;"this boundary is necessary to prevent inappropriate allocation of funds("just because something is
popular doesn't mean it's any good.") McCormick expressed hesitance to give up this measure,but she would be
open to seeing some side-by-side comparisons of alternatives. The commission asked staff to come back with
some recommendations for alternative augmented criteria in September.
E. UPDATE:Human Relations Commission Indigenous Peoples Day reporting process
Click relayed that the Indigenous Peoples Day/Equity Grant recipient verbal presentations will occur at the Human
Relations Commission meeting on December 17 at 6PM in Council Chambers. Attendance by the commission is
optional.
The group discussed anti-bias training occurring either September 11 or 13–the group concurred that the 11 a'
worked best. Click will check with the facilitator to see if this timing is feasible.
F. 2019 panel applications were discussed and Click requested feedback from commissioners. During the grant
process,five commissioners are joined by four panel members who participate in comments,advisement,and
scoring(commission still tasked with final decision). Furman favored someone who is familiar with grant writing
themselves. Click will send out the draft a lication to the commission and the form will get posted next week.
Click asked whether one-year panel veterans should be invited back;the commission agreed to solicit assistance
again from Michael Conti and Bridget Law.
The group took a short break at this time.
Agenda Item 5: Public Art Program [1.01.59 Audio min.]
A. DISCUSSION:2019 Public Art Implementation Plan-Vink presented alongside a slide-deck that showcased past,
present,and upcoming temporary and permanent installations of public art(with a future focus on project
management,maintenance/conservation,and feasibility).
• 2017-2018 accomplishments included 25 installations
• 23 in-progress installations
• Approximately$425,000 invested in upcoming installations
• Approximately$30,000 annually currently invested in maintaining public art collection(--50%of need)
• Parks&Recreation's GIS staff working on plotting the locations of public art so that collection is
available online for public engagement for improved archiving/data collection management
• On the horizon,there is a percent for art foreseeable with the Martin Park Improvements,the West Senior
Center,Valmont Phase 2,Alpine Balsam,Boulder Reservoir,Civic Area East Book End,and the Flatirons
Golf Course. Ad Hoc:art in parking garages and OSMP integrated projects
• Next steps are to finalize the implementation plan and select panel members. Adoption of the 2018-2019
updates to the Public Art Implementation Plan is planned for September 2018. Vink,welcoming
feedback,intends to get the implementation plan(with changes highlighted)out to the commission for
review two weeks prior to the next meeting. Vink also charged the commission with providing
recommendations for panel members;the more candidates to pull from,the better the panel pool.
• Chasansky noted that.the_publia W budgeLwill-baincluded in the-commission meeting-updates-regularly
going forward,alongside the grants budget.
Agenda Item 6: Matters from Commissioners [1.25.16 Audio min.]
None.
Agenda Item 7: Matters from Staff [1.25.16 Audio min.]
A. DISCUSSION:Questions About the Manager's Memo—Faman noted that the city manager's reconuuended
budget to council will be made public at the end of August. More discussion can occur at the September meeting.
Also,Chasansky reported that the proposal for the donation of the US cycling monument installed in North
Boulder Park will not be considered a piece of public art;Office of Arts+Culture will have no responsibilities.
Joos raised the upcoming convening of nonprofit leadership known as Cultural Organizations Summit(COS). The
main agenda item will concern the"anchor"organizations who will present and facilitate the conversation;advice
and recommendation sought may affect their proposal. Chasansky and Click will attend and record audio for the
commission,reporting at the September meeting. Joos expressed concern about attendees viewing the potential
restructuring as a"done deal"and Chasansky assured her that staff will emphasize the uncertain status of the
proposal put forth by these"anchor"groups and consequent need for debate. Joos,Hughes,and McCormick asked
about advance emailing to the nonprofit groups so that they arrive well-prepared for discussion about this
conceivable game-change. Furman imagined that a Q&A session during the summit might mean awkward debate.
McCormick noted that representatives need to have a way to provide feedback if they are not able to attend the
summit. Hughes dislikes the term"anchor organizations"as it seems to denote a predefined"class"on a forgone
"march to war." Chasansky -"pull back"on the language is possible. In September,commission can expect the
"landmark's"proposal alongside the staff proposal;at the October retreat,the commission will decide. Click
encouraged the commission to invite colleagues to attend the summit to ensure the most holistic conversation.
Joos:due to working on federal grant cycles,nonprofits will need to plan support if the GOS structure changes—
Chasansky clarified that this won't be discussed at the COS as the budget won't be yet public.
Regarding the grants budget sheet,McCormick asked about the almost$25,000 remaining;Click noted that these
are just pending the final reports,they have already been allocated. The$2,000 applied toward the HRC means an
overspending fore ui and underspending in the administrative fund;Chasans clarified that the balance sheet
took$2,000 from the"ticket fund." The admission fund should have a remaining balance in it-not technically a
grant. McCormick suggests footnoting this clarification in the interest of transparency. Chasansky agreed.
B. DISCUSSION:Boulder Arts Week 2018—the new year ushered in fresh logo,website,and swag. Cross-
promotion with`Business Champions"began. City of Boulder's Office of Arts+Culture funded entirely. In place
of the strategic planning committee,a small team of city staff,BCAA and Chamber advisors worked as an informal
advisory group. 2018 marketing focused on social media as opposed to print. Partnership with Daily Camera
proved helpful. Bus marketing—not beneficial. Key metrics were reported:increases across the board for
Facebook iikes,Twitter Tnstagram followers,unique website visitors,visits,and pageviews,and newsletter
recipients. Key components to 2018 success:emphasis on marketing(and cross-promotion with the`Business
Champions,")engagement with grantees and broad contacts,and use of the City of Boulder communication outlets.
• Some recommendations presented by staff for 2019:
o Date shift
o Subtitle expansion from"Celebrate Artists"(Hughes suggested"Celebrate the Arts")
o Business role expansion
o Boulder-based contractors
o Discounts,free passes,a"solid hook"
Agenda Item 8:Adjournment 12.10.55 Audio min.]
McCormick attended the city's`Building Bridges"event and reported great conversation about making public discussion
more collaborative and civil. She expressed her key takeaway of appreciation for the non-contentious and respectful
atmosphere of the Arts Commission. She also relayed that the Arts Commission has a glowing reputation among the other
boards and commissions of the city,known for tlieii positive work and leadership on equity initiatives. —
There being no further business to come before the commission at this time,the meeting was adjourned.
Date,time,and location of next meeting:
The next Boulder Arts Commission meeting will be at 6 p.m.on Wednesday,September 19,2018,at the Museum
of Boulder located at 2205 Broadway,Boulder,CO 80302.
APPROVED BY: ATTESTED:
Board Chair Board Secretary
Date Date